The insectoid chitin felt within Aslan’s grasp—something that should not exist on a human-shaped being.
Aslan smirked faintly upon sensing the chitin.
He was well aware of this phenomenon.
It had no official name. In the community of those who played the game, several people referred to it as “partial priestification,” and so that term stuck.
This was, in fact, a rare occurrence among devotees. It was a kind of privilege one could gain upon being chosen, even if it didn’t fully transform someone into a priest.
It was clear evidence of unwavering faith—something that couldn’t be attained with superficial piety alone. Realizing just how much faith both soldiers and even the emperor had for the Supreme Divinity, Aslan sneered.
These were no longer humans.
Thus, they charged without any regard for an emperor of some empire when trying to capture the will of the ancient deity.
Aslan watched with a bitter expression as he pushed the emperor forward.
Pffft, Phwack!
“Ugh, guh!”
An arrow struck the emperor or bounced off the chitin. Aslan listened to the emperor’s screams while throwing him aside.
Clang!
A soldier caught the thrown emperor, and Aslan immediately rushed forward.
“Hiss!”
With a crackling sound, the execution sword severed bones and decapitated the soldier.
Before the severed head had even fallen, Aslan felt his hair stand on end and turned his head.
Splat!
An arrow narrowly missed where Aslan’s brow had been moments before. Seeing more arrows trailing behind, Aslan clicked his tongue.
There were too many arrows, too many archers, and even more infantry. In such a situation, an execution sword weighing 5kg wasn’t ideal. Though lethal, its poor balance and weight made it unsuitable for defense.
While Aslan was turning his head, a charging soldier met the execution sword’s downward strike.
Crunch!
The blade split through metal and partially chitinous heads, spurting blood.
Aslan pulled out the execution sword and extended his hand, removing the soldier’s helmet to reveal compound eyes. He swung the helmet around.
Clang!
The helmet struck another soldier’s head, causing the man to stagger mid-attack. Taking advantage of the opening, Aslan’s execution sword found its way inside.
“Gurk.”
The soldier’s cervical vertebra snapped under the thrust, and he died instantly without spilling a drop of blood. Aslan used the execution sword to push the body away, twisting his own to dodge a spear flying at his abdomen.
It was a long stab aimed at his gut. Dodging, Aslan prepared to counterattack but thought better of it when he saw the incoming soldiers’ weapons.
‘Too many.’
Abandoning the counterattack, Aslan flattened himself against the ground, dodging the incoming strikes. The overly low stance caused the soldiers’ weapons to miss, allowing Aslan to sweep their ankles with his execution sword.
Thud!
The soldiers fell, and Aslan dragged one closer, pulling a dagger from his waistband.
Pfft!
In one swift motion, the dagger pierced beneath the soldier’s jaw, and Aslan used the falling corpse to shield himself from incoming arrows.
Pffft, Phwack, Phwack!
Six arrows struck. So many that the sounds resembled raindrops. Each time an arrow hit, the corpse trembled slightly, and Aslan held onto it tightly as he shouted.
“Angie!”
Responding to the call, Angie, who had been fending off charging soldiers with a spear, replied.
“What!”
“Kill the archers first!”
No specific instructions followed. Aslan muttered to himself, bent his legs, and placed the sole of his boot against the corpse’s abdomen.
‘Call Thunder.’
Rumble!
Thunder roared, and the corpse was hurled away. Its limbs flailing grotesquely, blood splattered everywhere as it flew.
When the falling blood struck his forehead, Aslan kicked off the ground using the recoil to rise.
‘Call Thunder.’
This was the third time today. Using wild magic to enhance his legs, he firmly pressed his right foot against the ground.
Rumble!
Thunder roared again, and Aslan soared into the air. Amidst the immense buoyancy, he shouted.
“Harrod, handle it yourself!”
Extending his arm mid-air, the shield magic that had been rotating above Harrod and Angie came flying toward him. Pulling the shield toward himself, Aslan landed on the terrace.
Creak!
The archers collectively drew their bows upon seeing him.
Even priests die when struck in vital spots. For veterans who were merely human, there was only one obvious target. A chilling premonition washed over his face, and Aslan raised his execution sword to shield it.
Clang!
Arrows clattered against the blade, glancing off or bouncing away. Pushed back by the countless arrows, Aslan’s footing slipped off the terrace railing, sending him airborne. Swinging his extended arm, he summoned the spinning shield which halted behind him.
Bang!
Using the shield behind him as a step, Aslan leaped higher and raised his execution sword.
Crunch!
Driving the blade down, the archer’s skull split open, his eyes rolling back as he died. Dropping the hilt, Aslan sidestepped.
“Kaak!”
A screaming archer charged. Avoiding the incoming arrow with a sidestep, Aslan entangled the archer’s arm with his own and snatched him.
Bang!
The world flipped upside down for the archer as he was slammed into the ground. Enhanced by wild magic, the rolling motion crushed his skull.
Snatching an arrow from the entangled arm, Aslan seized the bow of the archer whose head he’d already shattered and fired it at the nearest archer.
Twang!
The incoming arrow flashed like lightning before piercing through. The archer with a punctured neck collapsed with a gurgling sound, and the one behind him drew his bow in shock.
Seeing the trajectory of the aimed bow, Aslan ducked sharply, guided by the tingling sensation of enhanced luck, and picked up another arrow from the ground to fire.
“Massive volley!”
As the second archer fell, the rest cried out and unleashed a storm of arrows. Amidst the barrage, Aslan threw himself to the ground, grabbing the quiver.
Smash!
“Krk.”
Despite the maneuver, an arrow struck his ankle, but heightened determination dulled the pain. As soon as it subsided, Aslan plucked five arrows from the quiver and loaded them onto the string.
Much faster than the archers who had already loaded their bows, Aslan’s arrows flew from his drawn bow in half a breath, two at a time.
Twang, Twang-Twang-Twang!
“Chk.”
“Urgh!”
The five arrows cleaving through the air killed two archers, struck the helmet of a third, and pierced his leg.
As the archer wobbled and fell to his knees, Angie charged onto the terrace, hurling her spear.
“Kreeeaaaah!”
The archer screamed as the spear pierced him from behind, and Angie gritted her teeth, swinging the spear to knock the archer off the terrace.
“Huuuuh!”
Below the terrace, Harrod’s battle cry echoed, followed by the sound of a skull cracking. It was clear Harrod had finished him off.
“Master Aslan! They’re climbing up here!”
Having finished off the fallen archer, Harrod shouted and fought on, visible beyond the railing as he blocked soldiers’ attacks with his shield.
Aslan glanced at the valiant retainer and nodded at Angie.
“Angie, go help Harrod.”
Without responding, Angie blew steam from her nose and leapt off the terrace. Aslan kicked the fallen execution sword upward, catching it reverse grip.
Pulling the arrow out with the hand gripping the execution sword, Aslan immediately began firing at the infantry climbing the rear staircase of the terrace.
Arrow release sounds rang out almost continuously, and infantry climbing the stairs either clutched their chests and necks or knelt with pierced heads as they fell.
“Die, dieee!”
As Aslan continued shooting, a soldier charged. The axe aimed at his brow was blocked by Aslan’s extended bow.
Crack!
The bow broke. Without hesitation, Aslan adjusted his grip on the execution sword and swung it horizontally.
The infantryman whose neck was torn sat down heavily, and two more soldiers rushing from behind became visible.
Without hesitation, Aslan spun the broken bow in his hand and thrust it forward.
“Ugh, ugh.”
He stabbed the broken bow through the gaps in their helmets and throats. Accurate strikes caused the soldiers to scrape at the bow trying to pull it out, but Aslan batted their hands away and struck the bow with his elbow.
“Gurgle…”
The soldier coughed up blood and collapsed. Behind him, his companion widened his eyes in shock, shouting and swinging his weapon, but…
Tang!
Aslan deflected it with a sweeping motion of his execution sword, exposing the soldier’s openings. Without hesitation, Aslan extended his hand.
Grabbing the throat, he pulled. Already off-balance, the soldier was dragged into Aslan’s side. Clutching the soldier’s head under his arm, Aslan fell backward.
Crunch!
The soldier’s neck grotesquely broke and twisted, and life quickly drained from his eyes.
“Huff, huff… hnnn…”
Aslan panted roughly while holding the soldier’s head under his arm. Despite his elevated morale, he felt his physical limits approaching as he caught his breath. Beyond the terrace railing, the sounds of battle on the first floor gradually faded.
Lying down, Aslan squeezed his eyes shut then opened them, rising to his feet. He limped toward the stairs leading to the lower level.
“Eh, eh…”
The situation on the first floor was over. Harrod stood with his shield and iron club drenched in red, having killed several men. Angie, somehow covered in blood, had crimson-stained hair.
Aslan glanced at them briefly before checking for survivors.
The startled emperor, the bewildered Cornil Ashuld.
And emotionless Ilyena.
Aslan looked at the three of them, swept his sweat-and-blood-soaked bangs aside, and approached the emperor. His limping steps left bloody prints.
Seeing the crimson-stained execution sword and bloody footsteps, the emperor shouted.
“Corn-il! Cornil Ashuld! Protect me! Kill him!”
Hearing the emperor’s call, Cornil Ashuld uttered an “Uh” sound before summoning mana. Initially thinking he didn’t need to get involved, he hadn’t participated in the fight, and later, unsure of when to intervene, he simply stood dumbfounded. Finally, the late-arriving mage Cornil conjured mana into lightning and began incanting.
Aslan pointed a finger at Cornil, feeling the surging mana.
The advantage of wild magic is speed.
Magic requiring incantations or hand signs could never surpass the speed of wild magic, no matter what tricks were used. A shockwave far quicker than any incantation shot from Aslan’s fingertip, striking Cornil Ashuld’s forehead mid-incantation.
“Ugh.”
It wasn’t enough to kill or even cause the pain of a punch. Cornil Ashuld simply stumbled backward and fell.
Realizing his mistake as he lay there,
“Harrod!”
At Aslan’s shout, the red-scaled retainer rushed forward with his shield.
“Chk.”
Cornil Ashuld was pinned beneath the nearly 2-meter-tall retainer’s shield.
With the last soldier subdued, the emperor stumbled back in panic and fear.
Aslan approached the retreating emperor and grabbed his neck again.
Then the emperor gasped and said,
“You, you fool! Think carefully! If you kill me here now, all of Velus Ma’Kel will hunt you down! Every soldier in this palace and every guard in this domain will seek your head!”
Aslan stared silently, and the emperor trembled at the cold emotion in his gaze.
“You may be an incredible warrior, but you can’t possibly take on all the soldiers in this domain alone! Your breathing is already labored!”
“So?”
With half-closed eyes, Aslan observed the emperor, who smirked.
“I, I will let you go out of respect for your skills! I promise not to pursue you until you leave the domain! I swear it by the name of the Calus Empire!”
Aslan slightly furrowed his brow and tilted his head.
It was a completely unconvincing, scattered persuasion. Disappointed by the emperor’s performance, Aslan still thought.
‘Yeah, even on Earth, there were incompetent emperors. Some so inept that their own brothers tried to seize the throne. Compared to that…’
Dismissing his disappointment, Aslan heard the emperor add,
“Ah, or… rather, take me as a hostage. If you don’t kill me, your infamy won’t spread! Killing the emperor twice would make your notorious name known across the continent…”
Aslan rolled his eyes, and interpreting it as a positive signal, the emperor opened his mouth but then hesitated.
“If you weren’t partially priestified, I might have spared you.”
Taken aback by Aslan’s casual response, the emperor stammered.
“I don’t spare priests.”
Lifting the hand around the emperor’s neck, the emperor’s legs left the ground, flailing desperately. Distorted by fear and difficulty breathing, the emperor’s face contorted.
“And.”
The emperor’s terrified eyes met Aslan’s, who smiled softly.
“Isn’t assassinating the emperor once hard enough? Twice isn’t difficult at all, is it?”
The emperor couldn’t respond.
Plunk!
The light faded from the emperor’s eyes almost immediately, and his body went limp. Only after seeing blood flow from the emperor’s eyes and mouth did Aslan drop him to the ground.
The sound of the corpse rolling resounded in the audience chamber, and Aslan silently stared at the dead emperor before turning away.
Ilyena was still there. Standing at a distance, in a safe spot, watching Aslan.
As Aslan approached the girl, she met his gaze with an unusually calm demeanor.
Now was the time to conclude the plan.
Aslan spoke to the girl.
“Would you please fetch Commander Reynaud, Your Majesty?”
At these words, Ilyena silently sent a hopeful look toward Aslan.
